Windy City Bloggers Jessica, Baaba and Brittany enjoy wings and buffalo chicken dip at Joe’s on Weed St where no matter where you sit you can see a TV!
The Windy City Blogger Collective has members from all over the country, and since the football season officially kicks off tonight, we rounded up a list of places where you can root for your team. So whether you cheer for New England or Detroit, we have scoped out the perfect place to join your fellow fans all season long.
We teamed up with Tommy Bahama to outfit some of our members with team apparel. Our Windy City Bloggers modeled pieces from Tommy Bahama’s NFL Collection at some of Chicago’s top game day destinations. Shop for your team online at TommyBahama.com, or at your local Tommy Bahama store (we love the Flagship store on Michigan at Erie).
We started our game day tour at Joe’s on Weed Street which boasts the most TVs in Chicago – over 100! It’s the perfect place for a big group of home team fans to gather. We invited Michelle of The Native ‘Stilo, Anna of A Lily Love Affair, Baaba of The Style Agreement, Megan of Lincoln Park Minute, Brittany of When Wear and Now and Jessica of The Petite Diaries to Joe’s to check out the space, try the food and chat about the upcoming season.
Windy City Bloggers wearing Bears apparel from Tommy Bahama’s NFL Collection at Joe’s on Weed Street.
Megan in the Pick Six T-shirt, Michelle in the Goal Line Full-Zip Jacket, Anna in the Ben & Terry Half-Zip Sweatshirt, Jessica in the Goal Line Half-Zip Sweatshirt, Baaba in the Goal Line Full-Zip Jacket and Brittany in the Goal Line Half-Zip Sweatshirt.
The girls all agreed that the wings and buffalo chicken dip at Joe’s on Weed Street are perfect snacks to share with a crowd – just avoid high-fives if you’ve got wing sauce on your hands! And since Chicago isn’t expected to be undefeated this year it is important to head to a place where you can keep tabs on your fantasy player’s stats and Joe’s has you covered with TVs stacked up to the ceiling.
Chicago fans are eternally hopeful. Baaba from The Style Agreement says “I root for Chicago because I want to see another hometown team win a Championship. I love when the city comes together. The energy is amazing!”
And our bloggers take rivalries seriously! Brittany from When Wear Now told us “Not only am I a Chicago fan because I take pride in my city but, my Dad (also a diehard Chicago fan) told me that if I ever became a Cheesehead I couldn’t be part of the family anymore. Talk about instilled values and beliefs!”
We love that our Windy City Bloggers cheer for teams from far and wide. But what if your friends all cheer for different teams? Luckily there are places like Benchmark. Located in the heart of Old Town, Benchmark plays multiple games on TVs throughout the restaurant, plus some booths have their own tvs where you can pick the station!
WCBC Members Revea of Drink Fashionably, Mary of Sportsanista and Brittany of Try It On Me all cheer for different teams but were able to share a meal while cheering each of their teams on.
Windy City Bloggers wearing Seattle, Indianapolis and Oakland apparel from Tommy Bahama’s NFL Collection at Benchmark.
Brittany in the Ben & Terry Half-Zip Sweatshirt, Revae in the Goal Line Full-Zip Jacket, and Mary in the Pick Six T-shirt.
And the food is not to be missed! This football season, the kitchen will be serving up large, family-size, pots of chili along with all the toppings so you can build your own bowl of chili. Nothing says team spirit like cheering for your own team over a custom bowl of chili – and not having to wash the dishes yourself at the end of the day.
If chili isn’t your thing or it is still too hot outside for chili order up the nachos, sliders, or the steak tacos. Everything is delicious.
When asked why she loves the Tommy Bahama NFL Collection, Mary of Sportsanista said, “The mixture of vintage and new logos is fresh and at the same time gives off a vintage feel. The fabric is so soft and cozy – the versatility of the fabric allows it to be paired with high/low pieces and worn both day and night. I love pairing the Tommy Bahama NFL Collection gear with current trends of the season – my go-to at the moment is a great pair of flared denim and a fringe clutch for an edgy pop.”
We loved getting to know the stories behind the blogger’s team affiliations. Revae from Drink Fashionably has a great one! “I was born in Denver and grew up watching Indianapolis it was just how we spent our Sundays; watching the Indianapolis and Denver in front of the fireplace, grilling out on the back porch even though it was freezing and hanging out with friends and family. I love the game but it’s more about the memories during the game that make it fun!”
And Mary’s motivation is from the heart. “My boyfriend is from L.A. and his affinity lies with Oakland, to keep things civil we root for the same NFL team.”
Brittany the blogger behind Try It On Me, says that, “Tommy Bahama has always been known for their comfortable, high quality clothing. Their NFL gear is no exception. Each item in their NFL line is truly unique to the team that it represents. The pieces each have interesting details, from the zipper colors to fun embroidery. The Tommy Bahama NFL gear is comfortable, while remaining polished, so you will always feel stylish on game day!”
Rachel Geeser and her husband Brett wearing New England apparel from Tommy Bahama’s NFL Collection at Nic and Dino’s Tripoli Tap.
Brett in the Scrimshaw Pullover Sweatshirt and Rachel in the Ben & Terry Half Zip.
Known as the “Home for all Boston Sports” in Chicago, Nic and Dino’s Tripoli Tap is the place to watch New England. The menu has a fun variety of encased meats including sausage, and brats, but they are known for their wings. The space has a decidedly “Boston” feel including newspaper clippings of each team’s triumphs.
Rachel from An Eventful Life and her husband Brett are New England fans despite being from the Midwest, “My family moved around a lot when I was growing up so I never had one team that I felt tied to. I started to adopt teams that my extended family cheered for.”
Rachel says that Tommy Bahama’s NFL Collection lets her cheer on her team while staying stylish, “I’ve never been a fan of jerseys or t-shirts so I love that I can represent my favorite team without sacrificing my personal style. My style is classic and simple and with the Goal Line half zip sweater from Tommy Bahama I can support my team without being too in your face.”
WCBC Bloggers wearing Green Bay apparel from Tommy Bahama’s NFL Collection at Will’s Northwoods Inn.
Kari is in the Pick Six T-shirt and Julie in the Goal Line Full-Zip Jacket.
WCBC’s Cheeseheads fans gathered at Wills Northwoods Inn, a restaurant with a large patio area equipped with 6 tvs for watching the game outside, and Chicago gets almost as cold as the frozen tundra the Northwoods Cabin style interior has plenty of TVs and tables. The menu includes delicacies from the north like fried cheese curds and poutine.
Julie of Lifestyle by Jules has an interesting connection to her team, “I’m from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and the city of Green Bay is much closer to my home town than Detroit. In high school it was a tradition for my mom and I to watch the Green and Gold every Sunday and do the laundry together. I’ve been a fan ever since.”
Kari’s husband Alberto wears the NFL Goal Line Full Zip Jacket as his wife expresses her love for the Packers.
Kari of Chicagoings explained that her fandom comes from proximity to the stadium when she was growing up, “I’m from Milwaukee, a football town. Until I was 10, the Frozen Tundra would travel south and for a few home games each year only minutes from our front door. I grew up devoting my unwavering loyalty to football and Green Bay.”
Thank you to Tommy Bahama for sponsoring this post and helping WCBC’s members look stylish as they cheer on their teams this football season.
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